


Nightfall

by universal_reno



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Canonical Character Death, Everything Hurts, Gen, Mandalorian Culture, Post-Order 66, Rex is the best big brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:28:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24012088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/universal_reno/pseuds/universal_reno
Summary: Rex and Ahsoka, after the end of everything--Finale spoilers
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 4
Kudos: 113





	Nightfall

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a reddit post by someone who suggested Rex had tried to fix R7 after the crash in the finale. For some reason that struck me as the most thoughtful, Rex-ish thing ever and I had to make a fic about it. 
> 
> Happy Star Wars day, y'all ♥

Rex cursed when a jolt of electricity from the ruined R7 unit singed his hand. He sat back on his heels with a sigh and tried to adjust the light on his helmet to illuminate whatever had zapped him. It had fallen dark hours ago, but he felt too hollowed out to sleep. Besides, he knew how much the droid meant to Ahsoka. She deserved some small bit of happiness after everything that had happened. A few hours’ lost sleep would be more than worth it to make her smile again.

The wreckage of the venator smoldered in the distance. Every so often a gust of wind tore through the twisted metal with an eerie howl, fanning the flames higher for a moment before they died back down. Rex stood and tried to shake off the burning from his injured shoulder along with the thoughts of how many of his brothers still lay within what was left of that ship.

“Rex?” Soft footsteps approached and stopped beside him. Ahsoka had her cloak pulled tight around her. The light from his helmet cast jagged shadows over her face. “What are you doing?”

“Working on this.” He dropped to his knees and fiddled with the light again, resuming his hunt for the wiring harness that had previously connected to R7’s power core. _Trying not to think too much._

Ahsoka sat beside him and ran her hand over R7’s charred dome. “I appreciate it, but I don’t think this little guy will be powering up again any time soon.”

“Probably not.” Rex sat back again and pulled off his helmet, tracing over the jaig eyes. Silence hung heavy but not uncomfortable between them in the damp night air. “Jesse could’ve fixed him. He was always good with mechanical stuff” he said after a while. If he tried hard enough he could almost forget what his brother’s remains had looked like when they’d pulled him out of the wreckage, at least for a few seconds.

“Anakin as well.” Ahsoka added. She drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.

“I miss them.” Rex admitted.

“Me too.”

Rex wondered if it felt the same for Ahsoka as it did for him. The cold, empty feeling in his chest that settled into a painful knot in the pit of his stomach after every loss had become all too familiar over the years. Only the youngest vode could recite the full litany of their dead each night. Their older brothers all had too many.

Ahsoka scooted closer and ducked her head to lean against his shoulder. He rested his chin in the dip between her montrals. They’d gotten so much taller since he’d met her. He was no expert on Togrutas, but there was no denying she was a young woman now. He’d done something right, at least, by seeing her along this far.

A few more minutes lapsed in silence. Ahsoka’s breathing slowed and her body went slack against him. Rex tightened his arms around her. Once he was sure she was asleep he began to speak the names of his dead aloud for the first time since he’d left Kamino. His quiet voice melded with the other soft sounds of the night, catching in his throat every so often. Jesse still felt like a raw wound. Fives had cut so deep he doubted the space he’d left would ever stop hurting. He didn’t have the heart to add Anakin to the list, though somehow he knew he should.

He pulled Ahsoka closer. Out of everyone he’d loved she was the only one left. He would keep on protecting her, no matter the cost.


End file.
